Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

This rare double crested saguaro is along the Coyote Canyon Trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale.
Roger Naylor

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Coal Mine Canyon is east of Tuba City on the Hopi and Navajo reservations. A guide is required to visit the Hopi side or a permit for the Navajo portion. Permits are available at the Navajo Tribal Office in Cameron.
Roger Naylor

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

There are four primary vortex sites in Sedona: Boynton Canyon, Airport Mesa, Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. This is Cathedral Rock.
Roger Naylor

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

The Wild West’s most famous gunfight is reenacted daily on the site of the OK Corral in Tombstone.
Roger Naylor

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

A few buildings are still standing at the ghost town of Fairbank, perched on the banks of the San Pedro River near Tombstone.
Roger Naylor

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Wild burros act as furry ambassadors for the Route 66 town of Oatman. Bags of alfalfa cubes are sold in stores for $1 all around town for those that want to feed them. Do not offer them junk food.
Roger Naylor

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Lost Dutchman State Park, nestled at the base of the Superstition Mountains, offers great winter hiking.
Roger Naylor

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Arizona features some lovely sandy beaches, like the one at Cattail Cove State Park.
Arizona State Parks
Arizona State Parks

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Montezuma Castle is one of the best preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in the Southwest.
Photo by Rick Mortensen
Photo by Rick Mortensen

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Taking a tour of Kartchner Caverns is an amazing way to see below Arizona’s surface.
Arizona State Parks
Arizona State Parks

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Jerome's old buildings cling to the side of Cleopatra Hill.
Mark Henle/The Republic

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Kids enjoy a day at Boulder Beach, a sandy plot on the shore of Patagonia Lake.
Arizona State

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Laura Johnson-Fujiyama of Tempe highlights the golden aspens against a bright blue sky in her photo along the Inner Basin Trail near Flagstaff. See more of her photos at instagram.com/subglj.
Photo: Laura Johnson-Fujiyama

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

People fish at Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area in Show Low.
David Wallace/The Republic

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

A monsoon storm approaches during a sunset in Sedona on July 15, 2017.
Jasmine Mathias/Special for The Republic

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

The Hassayampa Inn in Prescott was designed by architect Henry Trost and completed in 1927.
Hassayampa Inn

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

The Hotel Gadsden has anchored downtown Douglas since 1907.
City of Douglas

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

The historic Hotel Monte Vista has a great location in downtown Flagstaff.
The Republic

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

Dust slides down a crevice in Upper Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona on May 17, 2012.
Linda Arany/Special to The Republic

Top things to do in Arizona in 2018

HUBBELL TRADING POST: The Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado was founded by John Lorenzo Hubbell in 1878, a decade after the Navajo returned to their land from their exile at Fort Sumner, N.M. As the Navajo returned home, the trading post supplied them with many items. The trading post is still active today.
David Wallace/The Republic

It’s time to make some New Year’s resolutions. Yes, we’re all going to exercise more and lose weight but let’s look beyond that. How about making some resolutions that are actually fun to keep? I try to come up with a batch of Arizona-specific resolutions each year. Feel free to adopt as many as you’d like, or conjure a few of your own.

• Make a summer hike to the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks high above Flagstaff. You’ll need to work off some calories since you started eating pie for breakfast.

Coal Mine Canyon is east of Tuba City on the Hopi and Navajo reservations. A guide is required to visit the Hopi side or a permit for the Navajo portion. Permits are available at the Navajo Tribal Office in Cameron.(Photo: Roger Naylor)

• Visit beautiful Coal Mine Canyon, a colorful gorge that resembles a wilder, unkempt Bryce Canyon. East of Tuba City, Coal Mine Canyon straddles both Navajo and Hopi land. You’ll need a guide to visit the Hopi side or a permit for the Navajo portion.

• Attend a guided hike, geology lecture, star party or other program at an Arizona State Park. Make it a point to learn a new plant or bird or constellation.

• Study an event in Arizona history like the Gunfight at the OK Corral, the Civil War battle at Picacho Pass or the Gates Riot at Yuma Territorial Prison. Then make a road trip to the site.

• Stop at Jackrabbit Trading Post, a Route 66 icon in Joseph City, famous for its signs featuring a swoop-eared hare. Climb into the saddle of the giant jackrabbit that guards the premises and take a photo. Come on, you know you want to.

• Challenge a butterfly to a dance-off.

Arizona has scenic lakes of all sizes across the state, including Roper Lake in Safford.(Photo: Roger Naylor)

• Spend a day at a lake you’ve never visited. Have you been to Roper Lake in Safford? How about Fool Hollow Lake in Show Low, Nelson Reservoir in Springerville or Parker Canyon Lake south of Sonoita? We’re an arid state, so it’s no surprise that we keep our precious water in gorgeous containers.

• Watch a monsoon sunset from beginning to end. Then write down, draw or paint everything you saw.

• Visit a Sedona vortex. Even if you don’t experience any special emanations, you’ll enjoy an easy hike amid beautiful scenery.

This rare double crested saguaro is along the Coyote Canyon Trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale.(Photo: Roger Naylor)

• Drink in a genuine swinging-door saloon. Bonus if you buy a round for the house. Better go at a non-busy time.

• Shop at Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado. The national historic site is a step back in time and continues to operate as it has since it opened in 1876.

• Spend some time at the Colorado River. Offer thanks for the water, energy and food it provides — not to mention the crucial habitat, recreational opportunities and pure scenic splendor. Consider ways you can help protect it in the future.

• Sit on your porch as often as you can. If you don’t have a porch, examine your life to see where you went wrong.

• At least once each day, grin big and wide. Because life in Arizona is filled with beauty and wonder, mystery and grace. Happy 2018!

Meet Roger Naylor

Arizona Republic contributor and author Roger Naylor will discuss his latest book, "The Amazing Kolb Brothers of Grand Canyon," at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, at the Mesquite branch of Phoenix Public Library, 4525 E. Paradise Village Parkway. The event is free and there will be a slide show. Everyone who attends will receive a free Arizona State Parks day pass.